[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4390-4391]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the war in Iraq is the most important 
issue of our time. The American people know that our soldiers are 
serving nobly under extraordinarily difficult circumstances and that 
far too many of them are making the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 
Citizens are calling on us--begging us--to address this issue with the 
seriousness and the urgency it deserves.
  The House of Representatives will vote later today on a major 
resolution supporting our troops and opposing the escalation of the 
war. It will be a historic vote and a clear response to the American 
people's clarion call for change. The Senate will have a chance to do 
so soon as well. The voices of the American people are growing louder 
and louder, and the need for us to act could not be clearer.
  Under the President's current policy, the war continues to impose an 
enormous human toll on our soldiers, their families, and their loved 
ones. Our men and women in uniform have served with great courage and 
honor for nearly 4 years--longer than it took to win World War II. More 
than 3,000 of our forces have been killed and more than 23,000 wounded. 
The casualties keep mounting. Last fall was the deadliest period since 
the war began. Mr. President, 287 American soldiers were killed in 
October, November, and December. Already, 118 have been killed since 
the President announced the surge, and the numbers keep rising.
  The toll in Massachusetts has been heavy. Just last week, CPT 
Jennifer Harris of Swampscott, MA, was killed when her helicopter went 
down north of Baghdad. She was the first woman from our State to make 
the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, and our hearts and prayers go out to 
her family and loved ones.
  So far, 65 Massachusetts members of our forces have given the last 
full measure of devotion to our country. The youngest was 19, the 
oldest was 46. They died far from their homes in Bedford and Bristol, 
Lawrence and Lowell, Plymouth and Pittsfield, Weymouth and Woburn, and 
other towns and cities across the State. They were fathers, sons, a 
daughter, brothers, and friends. Each of them represents a life cut 
short in service to our country.
  More than 3,000 families across America share in such heartbreak. 
Their loved ones have died in Iraq, and we mourn their loss. We honor 
their service, and we pray that God's grace and mercy may ease the 
anguish of those they have left behind.
  Citizens of Massachusetts have answered their country's call from the 
first days of the Republic, and those we honor today are members of 
that noble company. Each knew they were going into harm's way. They 
faced dangers in Iraq that vast numbers of our troops had never seen 
before, such as suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices.
  We mourn the loss of these heroes. We honor their sacrifice and 
extend our deepest condolences to their families. Words cannot ease the 
grief of losing a loved one, but I hope the families may find comfort 
in the words of Abraham Lincoln in the famous letter he sent to a 
bereaved mother during the Civil War. He wrote:

       Dear Madam, I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words 
     of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of 
     a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering 
     to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the 
     Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father 
     may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you 
     only the cherished memory of the loved and the lost, and the 
     solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a 
     sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

  The consequences of the decisions we make here in Congress profoundly 
affect our military, their families, and the communities they have 
left. We have an obligation to our soldiers to make sensible decisions 
that will not place them needlessly in harm's way.
  We in Massachusetts feel especially deeply the loss of the 65 
soldiers who have died in Iraq: SGT Justin W. Garvey; PFC John D. Hart; 
SPC Christopher J. Holland; SGT Pierre A. Raymond; CPL Brian Oliveira; 
LCpl Travis Reid Desiato; LCpl Dimitrios Gavriel; SGT Andrew Farrar; 
1LT Brian McPhillips; SSG Joseph P. Belavia; LCpl John J. Vangyzen IV; 
SGT Kurt D. Schamberg; CPT John W. Maloney; SPC Ray M. Fuhrmann II; 1SG 
Alan N. Grifford; PVT Michael E. Bouthot; SPC Daniel R. Gionet; SGT 
Gregory A. Belanger; PFC Kerry D. Scott; SGT Daniel J. Londono; CPL 
David Marques Vincente; LCpl Jeffrey Charles Burgess; LCpl Alexander 
Scott Arrendodo; 1LT Travis John Fuller; CPT Benjamin Sammis; CWO2 
Stephen M. Wells; SPC Matthew Boule; CWO Kyran E. Kennedy; CPT 
Christopher J. Sullivan; LCpl Shayne Cabino; LTC Leon G. James, II; CPT 
Joel E. Cahill; LCpl Michael Ford; CPL Scott Procopio; LCpl Patrick 
Gallagher; CPL Donald E. Fisher II; SPC Gabriel T. Palacios; SGT 
Benjamin E. Mejia; SGT Glenn R. Allison; GySgt Elia Paietta Fontecchio; 
LCpl Andrew Zabierek; LCpl Nickolas David Schiavoni; SPC Daniel F. 
Cunningham; LCpl Gregory E. MacDonald; SPC Peter G. Enos; PFC Norman 
Darling; PVT Cory R. Depew; SSG Joseph Camara; SGT Charles Caldwell; 
PFC Markus J. Johnson; SPC David J. Babineau; CPL Paul N. King; LCpl 
Geoffrey R. Cayer; SGT Mark R. Vecchione; SSG Clint J. Storey; SPC 
Edgardo Zayas; LCpl Eric P. Valdepenas; SPC Jared J. Raymond; LCpl 
Edward Garvin; LT Joshua Booth; SPC Matthew J. Stanley; SGT Gregory 
Wright; SFC Keith Callahan; SGT Alexander H. Fuller; and CPT Jennifer 
Harris.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the chart I have be 
printed in the Record. It is a chart of their hometowns and where they 
died in Iraq.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Name                 Location of death  Relationship to MA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sergeant Justin W. Garvey.......  Tel Afar, Iraq....  Mother from
                                                       Townsend.
Private First Class John D. Hart  Taza, Iraq........  Lived in Bedford.
Specialist Christopher J.         Baghdad, Iraq.....  Mother in
 Holland.                                              Lunenburg.
Sergeant Pierre A. Raymond......  Ar Ramadi, Iraq...  Lived in Lawrence.
Corporal Brian Oliveira.........  Al Anbar, Iraq....  Lived in Bristol.
Lance Corporal Travis Reid        Fallujah, Iraq....  Lived in Bedford.
 Desiato.
Lance Corporal Dimitrios Gavriel  Fallujah, Iraq....  Parents in
                                                       Haverhill.
Sergeant Andrew Farrar..........  Al Anbar Province,  Lived in Weymoth.
                                   Iraq.
First Lieutenant Brian            Baghdad, Iraq.....  Lived in Pembroke.
 McPhillips.
Staff Sergeant Joesph P. Belavia  Karbala, Iraq.....  Lived in
                                                       Wakefield.
Lcpl John J. Vangyzen IV........  Al Anbar Province,  Lived in Bristol.
                                   Iraq.
Sergeant Kurt D. Schamberg......  Iraq..............  Father in Melrose.
Captain John W. Maloney.........  Ar Ramadi, Iraq...  Lived in Chicopee.
Specialist Ray M. Fuhrmann II...  Samarra, Iraq.....  Lived in
                                                       Attleboro.

[[Page 4391]]

 
First Sergeant Alan N. Grifford.  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Parents in West
                                                       Wareham.
Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot.........  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Lived in Fall
                                                       River.
Specialist Daniel R. Gionet.....  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Father in Lowell.
Sgt. Gregory A. Belanger........  Al Hallia, Iraq...  Parents from MA.
Private First Class Kerry D.      Iskandirayh, Iraq.  Mother in
 Scott.                                                Worcester.
Sergeant Daniel J. Londono......  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Parents in
                                                       Dorchester.
Corporal David Marques Vicente..  Hit, Iraq.........  Lived in Methuen.
Lance Corporal Jeffrey Charles    Al Fallujah, Iraq.  Lived in Plymouth.
 Burgess.
Lance Corporal Alexander Scott    Najaf, Iraq.......  Lived in Randolph.
 Arrendodo.
First Lieutenant Travis John      Korean Village,     Lived in
 Fuller.                           Iraq.               Granville.
Captain Benjamin Sammis.........  Central Iraq......  Raised in
                                                       Rehoboth.
Chief Warrant Officer Two         Habbinayah, Iraq..  Parents in North
 Stephen M. Wells.                                     Egremont.
Specialist Matthew Boule........  Iraq..............  Raised in Dracut.
Chief Warrant Officer Kyran E.    Tikrit, Iraq......  Parents in Boston.
 Kennedy.
Captain Christopher J. Sullivan.  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Lived in
                                                       Princeton.
Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino....  Al Karmah, Iraq...  Lived in Canton.
Lt. Col. Leon G. James II.......  Ar Rustamiyah,      Mother in
                                   Iraq.               Longmeadow.
Capt. Joel E. Cahill............  Dawr, Iraq........  Lived in Norwood.
Lance Corporal Michael Ford.....  Al Anbar, Iraq....  From New Bedford.
Cpl. Scott Procopio.............  Al Anbar, Iraq....  Lived in Saugus.
Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher....  Al Anbar, Iraq....  Mother and father
                                                       live in MA.
Corporal Donald E. Fisher II....  Kirkuk, Iraq......  Lived in Brockton.
Specialist Gabriel T. Palacios..  Ba'qubah, Iraq....  Father from Lynn.
Sergeant Benjamin E. Mejia......  Marez, Iraq.......  Lived in Salem.
Sergeant Glenn R. Allison.......  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Mother in
                                                       Pittsfield.
Gunnery Sergeant Elia Paietta     Al Anbar Province,  Lived in Milford.
 Fontecchio.                       Iraq.
Lance Corporal Andrew Zabierek..  Al Anbar Province,  Lived in
                                   Iraq.               Chelmsford.
Lance Corporal Nickolas David     Al Karmah, Iraq...  From Haverhill.
 Schiavoni.
Specialist Daniel F. Cunningham.  Iraq..............  Lived in Revere.
Lance Corporal Gregory E.         Iraq..............  Parents from MA.
 MacDonald.
Specialist Peter G. Enos........  Bayji, Iraq.......  Lived in Plymouth.
Pfc. Norman Darling.............  Iraq..............  Lived in
                                                       Watertown.
Private Cory R. Depew...........  Mosul, Iraq.......  Father in
                                                       Haverhill.
Staff Sergeant Joseph Camara....  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Lived in New
                                                       Bedford.
Sgt. Charles Caldwell...........  Iraq..............  Lived in
                                                       Attleboro.
Pfc. Markus J. Johnson..........  AI Anbar Province,  Lived in
                                   Iraq.               Springfield.
Spc. David J. Babineau..........  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Parents in
                                                       Springfield.
Cpl. Paul N. King...............  Al Anbar Province,  Tyngsboro, Mass.
                                   Iraq.
LC. Geoffrey R. Cayer...........  Habbinayah, Iraq..  Fitchburg, MA.
Sgt. Mark R. Vecchione..........  Ar Ramadi, Iraq...  Eastham, MA.
Staff Sergeant Clint J. Storey..  Ar Ramadi, Iraq...  Wife/daughter in
                                                       Palmer, MA.
Spc. Edgardo Zayas..............  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Parents in
                                                       Dorchester, MA.
Lance Corporal Eric P.            AI Anbar Province,  Seekonk, MA.
 Valdepenas.                       Iraq.
Specialist Jared J. Raymond.....  Taji, Iraq........  Swampscott, MA
                                                       (mother).
LCPL Edward Garvin..............  Al Anbar Province,  Malden, MA.
                                   Iraq.
Lt. Joshua Booth................  Fallujah, Iraq....  Fiskdale, MA.
Specialist Matthew J. Stanley...  Taji, Iraq........  Father and Wife in
                                                       MA.
Sgt. Gregory Wright.............  Muadadivah, Iraq..  Father in Boston.
                                                       MA.
Sgt. 1st Class Keith Callahan...  South of Baghdad..  Mother in Woburn.
Sgt. Alexander H. Fuller........  Baghdad, Iraq.....  Wife in
                                                       Centerville.
Captian Jennifer Harris.........  Al Anbar Province,  Lived in
                                   Iraq.               Swampscott, MA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Wisconsin.

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